College Basketball: The Carrier Classic, 7 p.m., ESPN Michigan State plays North Carolina in an epic game on a court set up on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson, the aircraft carrier that buried Osama bin Laden at sea — unless the rain intervenes, which it's likely to do. We thought it never rained in San Diego. Still, that will be worth watching even if you don't like basketball. Because it's Veterans Day, most of the 7,000 spectators will be soldiers and sailors.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 8 p.m., ABC Ty Pennington and Jewel recount how much good this show has done by providing services for veterans. Take that, Congress!

American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards, 8 p.m., Hallmark And let's not forget all the hard work done by our doggie friends, who often risk their lives to help others. No, really. This one is presented by Ewan McGregor and Betty White, while Kristin Chenoweth, Jillian Michaels and Whoopi Goldberg serve as judges for the awards.

Race to the Bottom of the Earth, 9 p.m., NatGeo A crazy man attempts to be the first American to travel solo 700 miles across Antarctica to the South Pole. Hey, if all those penguins can do it …

MINISERIES PREMIERE Metal Evolution, 10 p.m., VH1 Classic Get ready for 11 episodes tracing the roots of heavy metal. We can't wait until the episode about mullets and Eddie T-shirts.

SATURDAY

Britney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour, 8 p.m., Epix This woulda been sooo hot, like, seven years ago. Now you can obsess over her obvious lip-synching in the comfort of your own home, and be glad you didn't pay $80 to see this.

CBS News Special: A South Carolina Republican Debate, 8 p.m., CBS We remember a time when the opposition party didn't spend the better part of two years preparing for an election no one's going to care about until August. At least it's fun watching the hopefuls eat each other alive in the interim.

Lucky Christmas, 8 p.m., Hallmark Elizabeth Berkley is a destitute single mother, surprising no one who saw Showgirls.

We Have Your Husband, 8 p.m., Lifetime Teri Polo's husband is kidnapped in Mexico. We'd check with Robert De Niro before proceeding further.